Well, that didn't last too long, but other sites have Fitna available for your perusal. Hey, it is not like Wilders was drawing cartoon charicatures or something - those were just Muslims doing, well, what Muslims apparently do.
I think I am going to take a well deserved break from this particular blog. I will be back, for sure, but pointing out the blatantly obvious, well, it gets rather dull at times.
I will leave you with the following:
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Oh Gaia! Not Logic and Reason on OUR Campuses!
Below: My idea for an "anti-Che" t-shirt. Does not go well with saggy pants.
"We can evade reality, but we cannot evade the consequences of evading reality." - Ayn Rand
"The only real moral crime that one man can commit against another is the attempt to create, by his words or actions, an impression of the contradictory, the impossible, the irrational, and thus shake the concept of rationality in his victim." - Ibid.
Consider the plight of a beggar. The beggar's existence is reliant upon the productivity and generousity of others. If others are not productive, they have nothing of value of which to show generousity. Now consider that certain conditions are expected of the beggar in return for the exchange. For example, that he get himself groomed, buy some decent clothes and (gasp!) try to find a job. The beggar accepts your donation, but then damns you for the conditions under which he recieves it.
Well, not suprisingly, it is our institutions of "higher learning" that are in such a snit over a scenario that parallels the above. John Allison, CEO of BB&T Financial Holdings, has offered millions in donations to university business schools with just one stipulation - that Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged be required reading in some curricula. This has liberal professors (i.e., people without the hope or skills to find gainful employment in the private sector) peeing in each others' pants. The title of this article says it all from a "progressive" point of view. They love the money but are screaming chastity raped about the conditions of its acceptance. Compare and contrast the same story from an objective point of view here.
Virtually all charitable contributions have stipulations, wether it be to build or rennovate buildings on the campus or create or fund a specific curriculum, or even give the funds to programs for students based on sex, race, religion, ethnicity or sexual orientation. We never hear people howling about that, let alone after accepting the money for such tomfoolery. But require a certain book in a curriculum (which, by the way, is far less expensive than textbooks required for other courses - ten years ago, my chemistry, physics and biology texts put me out of more than $200, as opposed to less than 10 bucks for a paperback copy of Atlas Shrugged) and all hell breaks loose.
Atlas Shrugged is a work of fiction - maybe they could argue on that matter and refuse the donation. Alas, for the insatiable desire for OPM (Other People's Money) they could no more refuse it than a crackhead could turn down a $20 rock. Rand poses a threat to the elites in their ivory towers which are overwhelmingly leftist, collectivist and downright irrational - which are all attacked in Rand's works as not only dangerous to free markets, but destructive to the individual mind itself, or what remains of it. One of my roommates at Auburn was an economics major, and as part of the curriculum had to take a course in economics of the Eastern Bloc (the USSR had yet to go flat broke). The Communist Manifesto was required reading, and nobody threw a hissy fit. I don't think it really indoctrinated anyone, but certainly helped to identify the roots of failure in centrally planned economies (probably not the professor's intention).
Like the mental midget celebrities who lamented Bush's tax cuts "for the rich" and then boasted about what charities they were going to give the paltry sum to, they should have sent it back to that which gave them the funds to begin with - the federal government, since basically their point was that government knows far better to do with that money than the individual. So to recover any remaining modicum of credibility or consistency, the universites accepting the donations from BB&T should just shut the hell up. Those who have a problem with the conditions of acceptance should politely refuse and complain all they like.
Maybe this is what the disgruntled academics would rather assign to their students:
"We can evade reality, but we cannot evade the consequences of evading reality." - Ayn Rand
"The only real moral crime that one man can commit against another is the attempt to create, by his words or actions, an impression of the contradictory, the impossible, the irrational, and thus shake the concept of rationality in his victim." - Ibid.
Consider the plight of a beggar. The beggar's existence is reliant upon the productivity and generousity of others. If others are not productive, they have nothing of value of which to show generousity. Now consider that certain conditions are expected of the beggar in return for the exchange. For example, that he get himself groomed, buy some decent clothes and (gasp!) try to find a job. The beggar accepts your donation, but then damns you for the conditions under which he recieves it.
Well, not suprisingly, it is our institutions of "higher learning" that are in such a snit over a scenario that parallels the above. John Allison, CEO of BB&T Financial Holdings, has offered millions in donations to university business schools with just one stipulation - that Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged be required reading in some curricula. This has liberal professors (i.e., people without the hope or skills to find gainful employment in the private sector) peeing in each others' pants. The title of this article says it all from a "progressive" point of view. They love the money but are screaming chastity raped about the conditions of its acceptance. Compare and contrast the same story from an objective point of view here.
Virtually all charitable contributions have stipulations, wether it be to build or rennovate buildings on the campus or create or fund a specific curriculum, or even give the funds to programs for students based on sex, race, religion, ethnicity or sexual orientation. We never hear people howling about that, let alone after accepting the money for such tomfoolery. But require a certain book in a curriculum (which, by the way, is far less expensive than textbooks required for other courses - ten years ago, my chemistry, physics and biology texts put me out of more than $200, as opposed to less than 10 bucks for a paperback copy of Atlas Shrugged) and all hell breaks loose.
Atlas Shrugged is a work of fiction - maybe they could argue on that matter and refuse the donation. Alas, for the insatiable desire for OPM (Other People's Money) they could no more refuse it than a crackhead could turn down a $20 rock. Rand poses a threat to the elites in their ivory towers which are overwhelmingly leftist, collectivist and downright irrational - which are all attacked in Rand's works as not only dangerous to free markets, but destructive to the individual mind itself, or what remains of it. One of my roommates at Auburn was an economics major, and as part of the curriculum had to take a course in economics of the Eastern Bloc (the USSR had yet to go flat broke). The Communist Manifesto was required reading, and nobody threw a hissy fit. I don't think it really indoctrinated anyone, but certainly helped to identify the roots of failure in centrally planned economies (probably not the professor's intention).
Like the mental midget celebrities who lamented Bush's tax cuts "for the rich" and then boasted about what charities they were going to give the paltry sum to, they should have sent it back to that which gave them the funds to begin with - the federal government, since basically their point was that government knows far better to do with that money than the individual. So to recover any remaining modicum of credibility or consistency, the universites accepting the donations from BB&T should just shut the hell up. Those who have a problem with the conditions of acceptance should politely refuse and complain all they like.
Maybe this is what the disgruntled academics would rather assign to their students:
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Entitlement Across the Pond
Blog note: Link is fixed. I do not agree with the pending low rider pants legislation though. Countless times police have caught an evading suspect because he tripped over his own trousers. Kinda hard to outrun the cops with your pants around your knees. In addition, it makes it all the more easy to identify idiots when they dress like that. If we were to outlaw stupidity, 90 percent of the American population and 100 percent of the Democrat voters would be in jail - we simply cannot financially afford that.
"Speaking as a black person, welfare is the worst thing that's ever happened to us." - Charles Evers
First, read this article.
I really can't think of anything else to add. Well, almost every moronic idea that England has tried to its own detriment eventually makes it over here. Get ready for "free", government healthcare, since England's NHS has done so remarkably well. Cuba is great too, as long as you are a member of the Communist party and are in good standing with Raoul - otherwise, you get this.
"Speaking as a black person, welfare is the worst thing that's ever happened to us." - Charles Evers
First, read this article.
I really can't think of anything else to add. Well, almost every moronic idea that England has tried to its own detriment eventually makes it over here. Get ready for "free", government healthcare, since England's NHS has done so remarkably well. Cuba is great too, as long as you are a member of the Communist party and are in good standing with Raoul - otherwise, you get this.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Easter
"Jesus was the first socialist, the first to seek a better life for mankind." - Mikhail Gorbachev
Yeah, whatever.
Here is a roast of Jesus by a little mentioned apostle. I don't think he was even canonized. All that following Jesus around and stirrin' up trouble for nothin'. Hmph.
Anyway, Happy Easter (or spring equinox, or whatever you like).
Yeah, whatever.
Here is a roast of Jesus by a little mentioned apostle. I don't think he was even canonized. All that following Jesus around and stirrin' up trouble for nothin'. Hmph.
Anyway, Happy Easter (or spring equinox, or whatever you like).
Friday, March 21, 2008
Double Whammy
“And they were not enjoined anything except that they should serve Allah, being sincere to Him in obedience, upright, and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, and that is the right religion. (The Clear Evidence 98.5)” - The Quran
Oh yeah? Stuff it, just like last week's recipe.
Simplicity is the theme today. That above is a scallop wrapped in bacon, with what looks to be some fresh dill on top. Your Muslim guests will rant and rave, probably like this:
So fire up the grill, drink a lot of beer (you are going to need it) and lock the doors.
Bon Appetit.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Res Ipsa Loquitor II
Uh, well, thanks for clarifying otherwise unfounded suspicions.
Here we go again - Muslims are "offended". Other than causing death, mayhem and destruction, when are they not "offended"?
____________________________________________________________
March 20, 2008, 9:39 amAfter Danish Cartoons, Dutch Film Sparks More Worries
By MIKE NIZZA
The aftermath has flowed predictably enough since Feb. 13, when Danish newspapers reprinted cartoons that sparked fury among Muslims around the world in 2006: There was more fury.
Street protests started in the streets of Copenhagen and spread to Sudan, Pakistan, Turkey and other parts of the Islamic world. Now, after more than a month, comes what might be the direst reaction in Osama bin Laden’s latest message.
“Publishing these insulting drawings,” he said, “is the greatest misfortune and the most dangerous.”An analyst interviewed by The Associated Press interpreted the message as a “clear threat against E.U. member countries and an indicator of a possible upcoming significant attack.”
In The New York Times today, Michael Kimmelman writes that “many Europeans seem fed up,” including some of the cartoonists. One has been moving from safe house to safe house to elude any assassins, while another is struggling to find meaning in the second printing:“At the time, in 2006, there were good journalistic reasons for other newspapers to publish the cartoons because few people had seen them then, so they were news,” he said. “Now the journalistic justification is almost nonexistent because everyone knows what they look like, so it’s more about solidarity than about news.”
Meanwhile, a politician two countries away is planning to release a movie that has “triggered a panic in the Netherlands that could only be likened to the dread leading up to a massive storm,” according to Der Spiegel, a German magazine.
Geert Wilders’s 15-minute film reportedly juxtaposes excerpts from the Koran with beheadings and stonings on a split screen, a warning of “the threat of the growing Islamization of Western society,” he said in an interview with a Danish TV station, Reuters reported.
Even before the film’s release, Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende of the Netherlands insisted that his country did not share the views of Mr. Wilders, who is the subject of death threats — threats made all the more unsettling by the 2004 murder of another Dutch filmmaker, Theo van Gogh, who was killed for being “an enemy of Islam,” the killer said.“I strongly condemn Geert Wilders’s condescending statements about Muslims,”
Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Denmark said on Wednesday, according to Reuters. “I find these expressions extremely offensive.” But the show seems likely to go on, even after every television station in the country decided against airing it. After all, Mr. Wilders still has YouTube to turn to.
With Mr. Wilders planning vaguely to release the video by the end of the month, Dutch security officials are left hoping that he will at least offer them a warning beforehand, so that they can prepare for another round of backlash.
[ Thanks to several commenters for quickly pointing out an editing error that had Mr. Rasmussen leading the wrong country in an earlier version of this post. - Ed. ]
_______________________________________________________
Ah, the serene, peaceful and tolerant religion of Islam. And please, give me some instances, or at least one, where moderate Islam condemns violence in the name of their religion. They refuse to for good reason. They are afraid of the radicals too. Can you blame them?
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Roosting Chickens
“Liberals seem to assume that, if you don't believe in their particular political solutions, then you don't really care about the people that they claim to want to help” - Thomas Sowell
Since every political blogger and their neighbor's housecat is either going at Spitzer or Obama and his former "reverend", perhaps I should take a stab at it.
Actually, I don't give a rat's ass.
This is more fun than watching the entire North Korean Air Force crash in slow motion during an airshow for Dear Leader (hopefully into the VIP stands). Almost as big a hoot as being on hand to witness what remained of a once great and over-ambitious Spanish Armada get sent to the bottom of the Irish Sea. Money can't buy this kind of entertainment. Well, maybe $3400 per hour might come close. And to watch both the Obama camp and the liberal media trip all over each other is absolutely priceless.
I voted for Hildebeast in the Alabamastan primary, as many of you know. I was actually voting AGAINST Obama. The guy is a Marxist, and by his own admission was extremely fascinated by Marxism in college. Now we are introduced to "Black Liberation" theology (which seems to me to be anything but liberating). For example, get a load of this shit:
______________________________________________________
8. Disavowal of the Pursuit of “Middleclassness”
Classic methodology on control of captives teaches that captors must keep the captive ignorant educationally, but trained sufficiently well to serve the system. Also, the captors must be able to identify the “talented tenth” of those subjugated, especially those who show promise of providing the kind of leadership that might threaten the captor’s control.
Those so identified as separated from the rest of the people by:
(assuming this is "method A") Killing them off directly, and/or fostering a social system that encourages them to kill off one another.
(assuming this is "method B") Placing them in concentration camps, and/or structuring an economic environment that induces captive youth to fill the jails and prisons.
("C " is implied, but not directly mentioned - they must have scribbled this in one hell of a hurry, possibly on a cocktail napkin in a dark restaurant.) Seducing them into a socioeconomic class system which while training them to earn more dollars, hypnotizes them into believing they are better than others and teaches them to think in terms of “we” and “they” instead of “us”.
So, while it is permissible to chase “middle-incomeness” with all our might, we must avoid the third separation method-the psychological entrapment of Black “middleclassness”: If we avoid the snare, we will also diminish our “voluntary” contributions to methods A and B. And more importantly, Black people no longer will be deprived of their birthright, the leadership, resourcefulness, and example of their own talented persons.
_________________________________________________
Pretty much explains itself, in some bizarre and insane way. It is certainly anti-individual to its core. That is one of the tenets of "black liberation" theology, practiced by Rev. Wright and apparently agreeable with Senator Obama. It can be summed up in a self-defeating, collectivist attitude that one should not strive for individual achievement, but rather know "your place" among the masses of self-inflicted failures. My antipathy towards Obama is that he is an outright socialist, with leanings to the left of it. According to the PC, multi-cultis, anything you say critical of Obama is "racist" de facto. I wouldn't care if he was whiter than a Scandinavian albino - he is outright dangerous. And unlike his supporters, he is not only well educated, but extremely bright and could charm the panties off the Virgin Mary. This is no garden variety lunatic like Ward Churchill or Noam Chomsky - this is a serious contender for the most powerful office on the face of the planet. Better that we figured this out sooner than later.
What I find so ironic is that now the left has to answer for mixing religion and politics, something usually associated with the yokel contingent of the Republican party. If the Republican party had any common sense, it would plainly see its own image regarding politics and religion. Sadly, this is about as likely to happen as the FairTax getting passed, but its a nice daydream.
What many pundits were so fond of saying was how little they knew about Obama and how he spoke in vagaries and generalities. Well, that has changed quite a bit in the last few days.
Or as Rev. Wright would say: "....chickens are coming home to roost."
Since every political blogger and their neighbor's housecat is either going at Spitzer or Obama and his former "reverend", perhaps I should take a stab at it.
Actually, I don't give a rat's ass.
This is more fun than watching the entire North Korean Air Force crash in slow motion during an airshow for Dear Leader (hopefully into the VIP stands). Almost as big a hoot as being on hand to witness what remained of a once great and over-ambitious Spanish Armada get sent to the bottom of the Irish Sea. Money can't buy this kind of entertainment. Well, maybe $3400 per hour might come close. And to watch both the Obama camp and the liberal media trip all over each other is absolutely priceless.
I voted for Hildebeast in the Alabamastan primary, as many of you know. I was actually voting AGAINST Obama. The guy is a Marxist, and by his own admission was extremely fascinated by Marxism in college. Now we are introduced to "Black Liberation" theology (which seems to me to be anything but liberating). For example, get a load of this shit:
______________________________________________________
8. Disavowal of the Pursuit of “Middleclassness”
Classic methodology on control of captives teaches that captors must keep the captive ignorant educationally, but trained sufficiently well to serve the system. Also, the captors must be able to identify the “talented tenth” of those subjugated, especially those who show promise of providing the kind of leadership that might threaten the captor’s control.
Those so identified as separated from the rest of the people by:
(assuming this is "method A") Killing them off directly, and/or fostering a social system that encourages them to kill off one another.
(assuming this is "method B") Placing them in concentration camps, and/or structuring an economic environment that induces captive youth to fill the jails and prisons.
("C " is implied, but not directly mentioned - they must have scribbled this in one hell of a hurry, possibly on a cocktail napkin in a dark restaurant.) Seducing them into a socioeconomic class system which while training them to earn more dollars, hypnotizes them into believing they are better than others and teaches them to think in terms of “we” and “they” instead of “us”.
So, while it is permissible to chase “middle-incomeness” with all our might, we must avoid the third separation method-the psychological entrapment of Black “middleclassness”: If we avoid the snare, we will also diminish our “voluntary” contributions to methods A and B. And more importantly, Black people no longer will be deprived of their birthright, the leadership, resourcefulness, and example of their own talented persons.
_________________________________________________
Pretty much explains itself, in some bizarre and insane way. It is certainly anti-individual to its core. That is one of the tenets of "black liberation" theology, practiced by Rev. Wright and apparently agreeable with Senator Obama. It can be summed up in a self-defeating, collectivist attitude that one should not strive for individual achievement, but rather know "your place" among the masses of self-inflicted failures. My antipathy towards Obama is that he is an outright socialist, with leanings to the left of it. According to the PC, multi-cultis, anything you say critical of Obama is "racist" de facto. I wouldn't care if he was whiter than a Scandinavian albino - he is outright dangerous. And unlike his supporters, he is not only well educated, but extremely bright and could charm the panties off the Virgin Mary. This is no garden variety lunatic like Ward Churchill or Noam Chomsky - this is a serious contender for the most powerful office on the face of the planet. Better that we figured this out sooner than later.
What I find so ironic is that now the left has to answer for mixing religion and politics, something usually associated with the yokel contingent of the Republican party. If the Republican party had any common sense, it would plainly see its own image regarding politics and religion. Sadly, this is about as likely to happen as the FairTax getting passed, but its a nice daydream.
What many pundits were so fond of saying was how little they knew about Obama and how he spoke in vagaries and generalities. Well, that has changed quite a bit in the last few days.
Or as Rev. Wright would say: "....chickens are coming home to roost."
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Government Schools...again...and again...and...
"Free education for all children in public schools." - Karl Marx and Frederick Engels - The Communist Manifesto.
When something of supposed value is "free", it usually is worthless to begin with. Government "education" generally falls into this category.
Here is the latest from California (where else?) in the wisdom and superior intellect of those who oversee the preparation of children for the realities of adulthood. Monterey Peninsula United School District has given detention to a 15 year old girl for skipping class. I guess the elementary school children, all 40 of them, and the driver of the bus would have been better off if she had not been there.
This is reflective of a much larger malaise. Mindless pedanticism. Now, this is just indicative of Iowa, but have a looky see on the GRE scores by discipline. Mind you, Iowa is ABOVE average on a national comparison. Which discipline scores lowest? The same trend held for ten other schools that posted their scores, but I am not going to bother you with hyperlinks ad naseum. Education majors, well, educate people, particularly children. Why do we entrust something so essential to, I can't really find another term, a bunch of idiots? Zero-tolerance policies are more prevalent in public education than any other area of society. Why? Because it takes critical thinking out of the equation. It is not so much that we do not trust our public educators to think, but that by evidence they are not particularly good at it. When they attempt to fire neurons, they come up with assinine ideas like this. In other words, now the gifted programs must be "dumbed down" as to not hurt anyone's group identity and make the P.C. multi-cultis feel as though they have accomplished something.
I dearly hope that someone comes forward, as both a gift to that 15 year old girl and an insult (which will probably be incomprehensible to them) to the government indoctrination centers of California, and provide the tuition for private school. God save this child from the public mind-grinders.
When something of supposed value is "free", it usually is worthless to begin with. Government "education" generally falls into this category.
Here is the latest from California (where else?) in the wisdom and superior intellect of those who oversee the preparation of children for the realities of adulthood. Monterey Peninsula United School District has given detention to a 15 year old girl for skipping class. I guess the elementary school children, all 40 of them, and the driver of the bus would have been better off if she had not been there.
This is reflective of a much larger malaise. Mindless pedanticism. Now, this is just indicative of Iowa, but have a looky see on the GRE scores by discipline. Mind you, Iowa is ABOVE average on a national comparison. Which discipline scores lowest? The same trend held for ten other schools that posted their scores, but I am not going to bother you with hyperlinks ad naseum. Education majors, well, educate people, particularly children. Why do we entrust something so essential to, I can't really find another term, a bunch of idiots? Zero-tolerance policies are more prevalent in public education than any other area of society. Why? Because it takes critical thinking out of the equation. It is not so much that we do not trust our public educators to think, but that by evidence they are not particularly good at it. When they attempt to fire neurons, they come up with assinine ideas like this. In other words, now the gifted programs must be "dumbed down" as to not hurt anyone's group identity and make the P.C. multi-cultis feel as though they have accomplished something.
I dearly hope that someone comes forward, as both a gift to that 15 year old girl and an insult (which will probably be incomprehensible to them) to the government indoctrination centers of California, and provide the tuition for private school. God save this child from the public mind-grinders.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Three Little Pigs
"Britons seem to have given up on assimilating their Muslim population, with many British elites patting themselves on the back for their tolerance and multiculturalism." - Linda Chavez
Across the pond, the busy-bodied, hand wringing pantywaists, all to eager to turn Mother England into an Islamic caliphate under Shari'a law, are wringing their thongs over the childrens' classic story of the three little pigs. It seems that something so seemingly innocent could hurt the "feelings" of the oh-so-benign and peaceful Muslims. Maybe they could change it so instead of the big bad wolf meeting his match at the house of bricks, he could just fly an airplane in it and emerge from his ambitions the victor this time. I never completely understood what the wolf's problem was with the pigs in the first place. Perhaps this story was a prophecy of things to come.
Anyway, it is Muslim Menu Friday, and it is about time I give you another useful menu suggestion. This time with an obvious anthema.
Moroccan stuffed pork loin.
I prepared this dish with some regularity as a former chef. I never really thought it would be "offensive" to anyone, otherwise it would not have been such a success with my patrons. My clientele was a particular sophisticated lot, since the restaurant itself was located inside the local museum of art. This was pre 9-11, and I really did not see the glaringly obvious "hate dish" I was serving, since Morocco is overwhelmingly a Muslim nation.
Anyway, it's tasty, so here goes:
First, get a nice sized pork loin from a butcher who has a clue what he or she is doing. This is difficult to find these days. Do not confuse "meat cutter" with an actual butcher, or you are going to be disappointed. Ask for a "magazine cut" which will basically turn your pork loin into a rather large flap. If you can't find a butcher or know how to do this, go here. Pepin knows what he is talking about. Its not a cook book per se, but more of operator's manual for a kitchen.
Use the brining method I described here. After that, using a mallet with the smooth surface, pound out the loin until it is no more than 1/2" thick.
Now for the stuffing:
1/3 cup couscous
1-1/4 cups chicken stock
2 teaspoons coriander
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon dried mint
4 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/3 cup raisins
Salt and pepper
You can also throw in some dates and apricots if you like. I usually leave out the pine nuts. Prepare the couscous as directed. Saute the onion and garlic until translucent. Add this and the other ingredients to the couscous and mix well. Let stand until cool.
Lay the brined pork loin on a flat surface and spread the stuffing evenly. Roll the pork into a roulade and tie with string.
Season the roulade, or roll, with salt and pepper. In a very, very hot pan, sear the loin on all sides. Place in 300F oven for twenty minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 140F. Remove from oven and tent with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes to finish internal cooking.
Slice thin. Serves 6.
Enjoy, you godless infidels! Invite some "Palestineans" since they make for such great house guests.
Across the pond, the busy-bodied, hand wringing pantywaists, all to eager to turn Mother England into an Islamic caliphate under Shari'a law, are wringing their thongs over the childrens' classic story of the three little pigs. It seems that something so seemingly innocent could hurt the "feelings" of the oh-so-benign and peaceful Muslims. Maybe they could change it so instead of the big bad wolf meeting his match at the house of bricks, he could just fly an airplane in it and emerge from his ambitions the victor this time. I never completely understood what the wolf's problem was with the pigs in the first place. Perhaps this story was a prophecy of things to come.
Anyway, it is Muslim Menu Friday, and it is about time I give you another useful menu suggestion. This time with an obvious anthema.
Moroccan stuffed pork loin.
I prepared this dish with some regularity as a former chef. I never really thought it would be "offensive" to anyone, otherwise it would not have been such a success with my patrons. My clientele was a particular sophisticated lot, since the restaurant itself was located inside the local museum of art. This was pre 9-11, and I really did not see the glaringly obvious "hate dish" I was serving, since Morocco is overwhelmingly a Muslim nation.
Anyway, it's tasty, so here goes:
First, get a nice sized pork loin from a butcher who has a clue what he or she is doing. This is difficult to find these days. Do not confuse "meat cutter" with an actual butcher, or you are going to be disappointed. Ask for a "magazine cut" which will basically turn your pork loin into a rather large flap. If you can't find a butcher or know how to do this, go here. Pepin knows what he is talking about. Its not a cook book per se, but more of operator's manual for a kitchen.
Use the brining method I described here. After that, using a mallet with the smooth surface, pound out the loin until it is no more than 1/2" thick.
Now for the stuffing:
1/3 cup couscous
1-1/4 cups chicken stock
2 teaspoons coriander
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon dried mint
4 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/3 cup raisins
Salt and pepper
You can also throw in some dates and apricots if you like. I usually leave out the pine nuts. Prepare the couscous as directed. Saute the onion and garlic until translucent. Add this and the other ingredients to the couscous and mix well. Let stand until cool.
Lay the brined pork loin on a flat surface and spread the stuffing evenly. Roll the pork into a roulade and tie with string.
Season the roulade, or roll, with salt and pepper. In a very, very hot pan, sear the loin on all sides. Place in 300F oven for twenty minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 140F. Remove from oven and tent with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes to finish internal cooking.
Slice thin. Serves 6.
Enjoy, you godless infidels! Invite some "Palestineans" since they make for such great house guests.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
The KKKato files
"I'll have them niggers voting Democratic for the next 200 years." President Lyndon Johnson, Democrat (on the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964).
Am I somehow in the wrong party? If history tells me something, and an accusation tells me anything - I should move to the movement of the mindless and leave the dangers of logical thought to more sophisticated and eloquent folks such as the illustrious former (although rather dead) president above.
One the other hand, no.
Am I somehow in the wrong party? If history tells me something, and an accusation tells me anything - I should move to the movement of the mindless and leave the dangers of logical thought to more sophisticated and eloquent folks such as the illustrious former (although rather dead) president above.
One the other hand, no.
A few posts back, one anonymous commentator elevated my status in the armchair, internet journalism community. I have now arrived. I have been labeled a "racist"!
In conservative or libertarian circles, this is QUITE an accolade - indicating that you have enraged someone beyond the point of merely ignoring you, but not quite having a counterpoint at their immediate disposal, simply leaves a drive-by, ad hominem retort. The only two parts of Sean Hannity's program I enjoy are the "Thursday Man on the Street" (which exposes the true horrors government education can produce) and when his program engineer plays the hate messages on his answering service. I am sure they are edited for brevity and content (with the occasional "bleep" substituted for profanity), yet they are still most amusing. I dearly hope I receive more and will strive my best to do so. By the way, you can keep the rest of the Hannity show. He has not had an original thought in years.
The photograph above was taken during the usual weekend social outing. Cato had to be the subject, since having no opposing thumbs, he could not operate the camera to take a photo of me. The guy on the left offered, but having difficulty understanding how to operate a Slinky (he ended up cuffing himself), I decided best not to befuddle him with a rather expensive digital camera.
On terms, their meanings, perversions, use, misuse and overuse (tall order, thank goodness I only have three terms to discuss):
Racism: (n) a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. Merriam-Webster
Bigotry: (n) : acts or beliefs of a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices; especially : one who regards or treats the members of a group (as a racial group). Ibid.
Still no cigar. The next one was incredibly difficult to find. Well, to find by itself: There are multiple, hyphenated definitions including the word, with the ovewhelming prefix "multi-". First, an abstract from this page:
"The Left has used America's hatred, racism, to promote racism by insisting that culture and race cannot be separated. By insisting that the value placed on the culture is the value placed on the race, the Left has used America's own goodness to force any discussion of culture in to the back alleys. We should consider each race of equal value as we should consider each person of equal value before God. We should not consider each culture of equal value as we should not consider the personality of a saint equal to that of a criminal. As some of us have personalities which need improving in some areas, so do some cultures. To deny this is inevitably to deny the existence of free will. This is acceptable to the ruling elite for they imagine themselves as being a small island of free will in a sea of lesser beings needing to be led. One cannot believe in universal humanity and universal free will without believing that some of us will use this freedom poorly. In order to deny that some cultures make poor choices we must deny the possibility of making any choices."
I mostly agree with that, just replace "America" with "The West".
Let us examine a bit further. Ironically, the culturalism website has it basically wrong. They coincide some sort of social collectivism with the term. I go more for the individualistic concept, minus the religious overtones. Since nobody really bothered to define culturalism before hyphenating the living hell out of it, I guess its up to me.
Culturalism: (n) a belief that culture is the primary determinant of a society's success (or failure) and that culture is the primary determinant of a particular society's superiority. Your's Truly.
Recently, a fellow I have put on my link list, Pat Condell, offended some Berkeley novitiates, by some email of a video circulating around campus. So far, sounds about par for the course for that institution. Thinking that they were about to be spoon fed everything their pompous, elitist little butts already knew, they were just fine with Mr. Condell's evisceration of the religious right in America (Hey fella! That's MY job!), but when he dared tell of the dilemma Mother England is facing with a religion of a different "right", aka Islam, they went bananas. His most eloquent response to these self-annointed guardians of all worth knowable and what is best for us great unwashed is here.
More on this later. I have just started my journey of being called every name in the book liberals can come up with, including (especially) terms and slurs that have absolutely no application to me. I am looking forward to "Nazi", "Neocon", and "Fascist" (oh, do I love that one!). So pardon me while I get back to "cultural oppression" via "hate speech".
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Snake Free Sunday
“Always carry a flagon of whiskey in case of snakebite and furthermore always carry a small snake.” - W.C. Fields
I was all ready to produce a basket full of slithering serpents when something fantastic occured. I have now achieved some much needed credibility in the blog world. Some photoshop stuff first. Come back later. Check out the new addition on the right "Rants and Raves".
I was all ready to produce a basket full of slithering serpents when something fantastic occured. I have now achieved some much needed credibility in the blog world. Some photoshop stuff first. Come back later. Check out the new addition on the right "Rants and Raves".
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
The Cato Files
"I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult." - Rita Rudner
Instead of every other blogger and their neighbor waxing poetically over the outcome, or lack thereof, of yesterday's primary (Democrats are in a quandary now over whether to back a Marxist or a fascist, and everyone generally agrees that Cindy McCain is the best looking out of the whole lot), I think a break from politics is in order.
Cato is in mid-round of antibiotic treatment for his ear infection, and thus looks like a greaseball. One thing all parents and pet owners agree on is that their children and pets are better-looking and smarter than yours. One exception to this is the Chinese Crested. Why anyone would want to pay actual money for one of these, let alone breed them, is beyond comprehension. Even if they can outwit Michio Kaku, they are about the homeliest creatures to ever achieve status as a household pet. Even Chinese chefs refuse to prepare and serve them out of fear the dogs (loose stretch of the term, probably rodents) appear to have some horrible disease that would kill their patrons.
To end all argument in accordance with unassailable objectivism - my dog is cute AND smart. So there.
His particular area of interest is literature, having just completed Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Having completed meaning "completely destroyed" a paperback of such. It seldom arouses suspicion when a dog chews up a book, but to do so in numerical page order, from front to back, is something different. He is also a fast reader, by dog standards, digesting (no pun intended) the work in less than one week. In addition, Cato seems to be a most discriminating bibliophile. To test this theory, I placed in front of him for his choosing the following:
A recent edition of The New York Times (opened to the editorial section), on which he immediately peed (Good dog! He got a treat for that).
The Vintage Mencken collected by Alistair Cooke, which he sniffed vigorously for about five minutes, then began to "read". It was then removed from the menu, since I have yet to finish it myself.
How To Know God by Deepak Chopra. Upon intense examination, since this is a hardbound volume, he could not open the book, and gave up.
And finally, this month's edition of Discover, which is apparently delicious.
The only problem here is that I was unable to finish Brave New World before Cato did. Someone please tell me how the relationship between Lenina and The Savage (John) turns out. I do not want to have to buy the Cliff's Notes, since Cato might eat them and cheat on his book report.
Instead of every other blogger and their neighbor waxing poetically over the outcome, or lack thereof, of yesterday's primary (Democrats are in a quandary now over whether to back a Marxist or a fascist, and everyone generally agrees that Cindy McCain is the best looking out of the whole lot), I think a break from politics is in order.
Cato is in mid-round of antibiotic treatment for his ear infection, and thus looks like a greaseball. One thing all parents and pet owners agree on is that their children and pets are better-looking and smarter than yours. One exception to this is the Chinese Crested. Why anyone would want to pay actual money for one of these, let alone breed them, is beyond comprehension. Even if they can outwit Michio Kaku, they are about the homeliest creatures to ever achieve status as a household pet. Even Chinese chefs refuse to prepare and serve them out of fear the dogs (loose stretch of the term, probably rodents) appear to have some horrible disease that would kill their patrons.
To end all argument in accordance with unassailable objectivism - my dog is cute AND smart. So there.
His particular area of interest is literature, having just completed Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Having completed meaning "completely destroyed" a paperback of such. It seldom arouses suspicion when a dog chews up a book, but to do so in numerical page order, from front to back, is something different. He is also a fast reader, by dog standards, digesting (no pun intended) the work in less than one week. In addition, Cato seems to be a most discriminating bibliophile. To test this theory, I placed in front of him for his choosing the following:
A recent edition of The New York Times (opened to the editorial section), on which he immediately peed (Good dog! He got a treat for that).
The Vintage Mencken collected by Alistair Cooke, which he sniffed vigorously for about five minutes, then began to "read". It was then removed from the menu, since I have yet to finish it myself.
How To Know God by Deepak Chopra. Upon intense examination, since this is a hardbound volume, he could not open the book, and gave up.
And finally, this month's edition of Discover, which is apparently delicious.
The only problem here is that I was unable to finish Brave New World before Cato did. Someone please tell me how the relationship between Lenina and The Savage (John) turns out. I do not want to have to buy the Cliff's Notes, since Cato might eat them and cheat on his book report.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
No Snakes Today
"Hell is other people" - Jean-Paul Sartre
Today is usually my fave day of the week, but something got in the way. Cato has an ear infection and needs extra attention. I hope I remain a bachelor throughout this life, but being a father figure in times of good and bad is wonderful. I love this little fellow without reservation. He was too sick to even eat today, so we just hopped in the bed - his head on my elbow, and I read some Dave Barry.
Meanwhile, I think this is Billy Ray "Mullet" Cyrus. Have a looky see.
Today is usually my fave day of the week, but something got in the way. Cato has an ear infection and needs extra attention. I hope I remain a bachelor throughout this life, but being a father figure in times of good and bad is wonderful. I love this little fellow without reservation. He was too sick to even eat today, so we just hopped in the bed - his head on my elbow, and I read some Dave Barry.
Meanwhile, I think this is Billy Ray "Mullet" Cyrus. Have a looky see.
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